Notes: This nice little song encouraging Tibetans to maintain their traditional ways is relatively straightforward. ནང་དམེ་ was a new one for me. It literally means "to feud." I thought to translate it as don't fight amongst yourselves since "feud" brings some funny connotations to mind but in the end left it as such. I wasn't sure how to translate རྒྱ་ཡུལ་. It literally means 'Chinese lands', which pretty much means China. I left it like this until my friend suggested mainland China. I opted for this since it is, after all, a modern song located in the context of a modern situation. Additionally 'Chinese lands' sounds like lands occupied by Han Chinese, which could mean places like Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc. which is a world of difference from the PRC for Tibetans. The line རྒྱ་གླུ་དགའ་སྣང་མ་སྐྱེ།། literally means something like 'don't give rise to joyful expressions Chinese songs." I glossed this as "don't enjoy Chinese songs." Another doubt I had was in regards to the last line. It's not so clear as to whether Lobsang Dawa wants Tibetans to sing his song of solidarity or just any old song of loyalty. I figured it sounds nice if he encourages other people to join him in signing along so I left it as "this song."

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Call of the White Crane

From the singing nomads of the grasslands of Amdo and Kham, to the nightclubs of Lhasa--and even including Tibetans in exile across the globe--we bring you some of the most incredible and inspiring Tibetan music videos for your listening and viewing pleasure. With our original translations of such wonderful and soulful music, it is our hope that people from all over can appreciate and connect with the voices of Tibet--crying out for their own people, their own land, and their own traditions. The 'Call of the White Crane' resonates through the voices of Tibet's pawo and pamo (heroes and heroines) who tirelessly work to lift the spirits of their people and ensure the longevity of their precious culture.